Never Too Late
by RealDiePie
Summary: What would happen if the Sohma family wasn't cursed with the twelve animals zodiac? The story is basically what I think would happen if there was no curse... Kyoru always! Rated T just in case...
1. A New Day

**Never too late**

**Chapter 1- A new day**

**By: RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot line.**

**A/N: This story will focus on Tohru's life and the challenges she comes through (the animals zodiac curse doesn't exist in this story), so... Enjoy!**

**_"_**_My Mother seems so far away from me,_

_On that beautiful white shore across the sea._

_Yet I remember love's soft glow upon her face,_

_And the feel of her touch and tender embrace."_

_-Belinda Stotler_

**_XxXxXxX_**

It was another day. Morning's fresh air greeted Tohru with a cold, but comfortable breeze, and that was enough to wake her up. With her mind full of thoughts, she started to change for school. Thinking about the past few months living in a tent made her proud of herself but at the same time, lonely. She had nobody now. No father. No mother. And with that thoughts, she left her temporary home to face a completely new day.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru, completely lost in her thoughts walked carelessly through the woods, and what made her wake up from her distracted mind was the sight of a big house right in front of her.

The house was impressively huge, but what really caught her attention were the twelve animal ornaments carefully placed in the sun.

As the curious girl she was, she silently approached the animals. _"Huh... How cute! But I feel that there's something missing... Ah, of course! It's the c-"_ her thoughts were interrupted as a handsome man stood beside her; examining the scene.

"Ah... Eh... I-I'm re-really so-sorry for intruding..." she stuttered.

The man looked at her _"Hum... A high school student... Interesting..." _he thought before answering "It's okay, look if you want. I only put them out for some sunshine."

She looked at him and then again at the small ornaments. "Of course young people like you would think it's boring." The man said.

"Actually, I think the ornaments are really cute!" she smiled. "But... There is no cat..." she added.

"Cat? So you're familiar with the legend of the twelve animal zodiac?"

"Yeah, my mom used to tell me the story when I was little..."

_*Flashback*_

_"Come on Tohru... Time to go to bed!" Tohru's mother, Kyoko accompanied her to her bed._

_"Mummy, can you tell me story of those animals you promised me yesterday?"_

_"Of course honey..." Her mother said as she began to tell the story:_

_"God told the animals: 'Tomorrow I'll invite you to my banquet. You must not be late.' After hearing the news, the rat told his neighbor, the cat, that the banquet would be the day after tomorrow. On that day, the rat rode on the ox and jumped off to get into the banquet first. The other animals followed and the banquet lasted until the next morning. All the animals were there... Except for the deceived cat-" Her mother stopped and looked at her daughter's sad face. "Tohru, why are you crying?"_

_"Poor... Cat..." Tohru said, tears streaming down her brown eyes. She suddenly got up and screamed "I'VE DECIDED I DON'T WANT MY SIGN TO BE A DOG, I WANT IT TO BE A CAT! I LIKE CATS THAT MUCH!" _

_Her mother only looked at her with a tired expression and nodded._

_*End of the Flashback*_

"You like cats that much huh?... I imagine what he'd think if he heard this..." He said almost in a whisper, but Tohru heard it anyway.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing... So... You're a high school girl, am I r-" He was cut off by a heavy school bag that was thrown purposely in his head.

"You sound like a pervert!" A sweet feminine voice said from inside the house.

To Tohru's surprise, prince Yuki's face appeared from the shadows. "Sohma Y-Yuki..." she stuttered.

"Honda Tohru, am I right? I'm glad to finally meet you"

"Yes, me too!"

The man she was talking to just a minute ago joined the conversation "Ah, by the way, I'm Sohma Shigure, Yuki's cousin."

"How are you, I'm Honda Tohru..."

"Honda-san, why are you here?"

"Ah... Er, I live... close by..."

"Close by?..." Shigure asked confused.

"Well nevermind. So, since we are going to the same school, why don't we walk together?" Yuki said smiling.

"Um, sure!" She answered and they both left.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Hana-chan! Uo-chan!" Tohru's sweet voice called for her best friends.

The three girls hugged each other. They stood there for what looked like hours, but were interrupted by the mass of people, and that's when Tohru realized that the prince was gone.

With that, they started walking towards the classroom, just to find the place crowded with their worst nightmare: The Prince Yuki fan-club.

Almost instantly, the head of the club came in their direction. "HONDA-SAN, HOW COME YOU CAME TO SCHOOL WITH SOHMA?"

"Ehh... It was a coincidence..."

"COINCIDENCE? HOW DARE YO-"

"YOU HEARD HER. IT WAS A COINCIDENCE." Uotani said, ending the subject.

**_XxXxXxX_**

The day passed quickly by, and classes were finally over. Tohru walked alone through the school corridors involved with her own thoughts.

"Ah, Sohma, thank you for walking me to school this morning." Tohru said when she found the prince alone in the corridor.

"Ah, you don't need to thank me... And I'm sorry if Shigure's caused you any trouble."

"Oh, of course not! He's a very kind person" Tohru smiled

_"Kind would be the last word I'd use to describe him..." _he thought

BEEP, BEEP... Tohru looked at her clock. 4:30 p.m. **(I don't know what time she goes to work so I'll just assume it's 5 p.m.) **"WAAAAAAH... I'm sorry, Sohma-san... I've to rush to work!"

"Ah, Honda-san... I forgot to tell you..." He turned to her and looked in her eyes "You don't look very well..." He smiled "The weather is very hot, and you have to take care of yourself..." And with this, he disappeared among the falling leaves.

Tohru blushed a little **(This is NOT a yukiru fanfic! kyoru forever 3... Watever let's get back to the story...)**, but started running to get to work in time.

**_XxXxXxX_**

_"Huh... Today work was really tiring..." _Tohru thought as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, already leaving the building where she worked as a maid.

As she walked in the lonely streets, she thought about her mom; her dad; everything she had lost; until she reached her tent... Or what was left of it... Tohru looked at the destroyed tent underneath thousands of rocks... She then remembered something very important "MOM!" She screamed trying to move the rocks. Her only memory of her mother was an old picture, and it was now lost in the middle of an avalanche of rocks... "DON'T WORRY MOM! I'LL FIND A WAY TO TAKE YOU OUTTA THERE!" She started to push the stones harder, causing her hands to ache and bleed.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and a familiar voice filled her ears. "Honda-san, why don't you come with me and we'll talk about what you're doing here alone in the woods?" Tohru, still in a state of shock just nodded and followed the person she knew was Sohma Yuki, the prince.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"You were... HAHAHAHAHAHA... Living in a... HAHAHA... Tent...? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Shigure's voice and laugh filled the Sohma's living room after Tohru told them what exactly she was doing alone in the forest and they'd taken care of her wounds.

"Shigure, are you done?" Yuki asked

"Sorry... It's just that... hihihi... I can't help it..." He replied trying not to laugh again

"Tohru, why don't you go take a shower?" Yuki suggested and the girl agreed. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." They went upstairs, leaving a laughing Shigure behind.

After a few minutes, Yuki came back and told his cousin he'd go outside to get tohru's stuff. "You shouldn't go alone, you know?" Was Shigure's reply

"Well... Someone's got to do it..." And said that, he disappeared in the darkness.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru took a hot shower and then went to her room. She was wearing some clothes the Sohmas had found in the other guest room. She shifted beneath the soft sheets and looked at the room around her for the first time before realizing a figure standing by the door. The shadow approached her bed, showing the face of a concerned Shigure. "Are you ok, hardworking student?" He asked, sitting beside her bed.

"I gess so... I lost my house... again..." She answered sadly.

"You're feeling really bed aren't ya?"

"No... Because I know it could've been a lot worse..." She was already with her eyes closed. "That morning I didn't tell her to be careful..." Shigure realized she was talking about her mom "I had an important test and I studied so hard that I overslept..." He could tell by the tone of her voice that she regretted that deeply "I said that everyday... Only that day I..." She paused, gulping before continuing "I'm so stupid! Even if I failed... Or the house got blown up... I don't care, because... Because the most important thing was mom..." She then fell asleep. Shigure carefully exited her room, now smiling. _"This girl's really something..." _He thought before closing the door.

**_XxXxXxX_**

**So, this was the first chappie! I must say... It was hard to write it... But whatever, lets get to the point! I'll say again just to make it clear to everyone: THERE IS NO CURSE IN THE SOHMA FAMILY... This story is supposed to be my point of view about how everything would be if the curse didn't exist! And the twelve animals ornaments and Tohru's affection towards the cat was just a way I found to improve her relationship with Kyo along the story (Kyo'll be a cat lover)... *wipes sweat from forehead* Whew... I hope my efforts to make a nice first chapter works, and I'd be reeeaaaaaaaally happy if my first fanfic got reviews! me:*looks at audience expectantly*, *audience throws tomatoes at the stage* me:*runs away with shame***

**So next chapter we'll meet lovely kyo and relationships will be developed... I'm counting on you guys!**


	2. Orange Is My New Favorite Color

**Never too late  
Chapter 2- Orange is my new favorite color  
By: RealDiePie  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot line.  
A/N: Well, thank you all for actually reading my story... That makes me happy ;)... I wanted to thank****_ kyofan4eva _****for being the first person to like and follow my story... You rock!**

**_XxXxXxX_**

_"She never showed her fears,_

_Or let you hear her cries._

_She never showed the tears,_

_That fell down from her eyes._

_She never looked for pity,_

_Or sympathy from you._

_That's why she'll always be,_

_The strongest girl I ever knew."_

_-Ronnie Doe_

**_XxXxXxX_**

_"_Ah, good morning Sohma-san!" Tohru said while setting the table. As always; she woke up earlier than everybody else and started making the breakfast, even though this was not her house. **(This is her first morning in their house)**

"Good morning!" He replied with a smile.

"I smell pancaaaaaaakes!" Said Shigure leaving his room and approaching the kitchen. "Tohru, my flower... You are really an angel!" He said with excitement . "Know that you're allowed to stay here as long as you want!"

She blushed a little at her new nickname and said "That's what I wanted to talk to you about..." She wanted to talk to him last night, but was too tired. "I was wandering... If it's not asking too much... If I could stay here until my grandpa's apartment is ready..."

"Why, of course you can!"

"Thank you so much! As a payment for letting me live here, I will clean the house!"

"Oh Tohru... You are really perfect! Of course! How could I not agree with such a thing?!"

"I'll start right now!" She ran out of the kitchen and went to clean her room.

A few moments later, they heard a loud bang coming from Tohru's room and rushed to get up there as fast as they could.

"Honda-san, did you fall from the stairs aga-" Yuki began, but never got to finish the sentence.

"YUKI,YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU THIS TIME!" An orange-haired boy yelled as his cousin with disgust in his voice.

Yuki searched the room looking for Tohru, until he saw her legs under a piece of the ceiling where Kyo, his stupid cousin, had entered 'triumphantly' in the house.

Yuki went to the opposite direction from where Kyo was standing, making him mad.

"HEY, DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK TO ME!" Kyo shouted and Yuki pretended not to listen.

"Honda-san... Are you ok?" He asked her, pulling her from under the wood planks.

"Ah... Yes... I'm totally fine...!" She answered a little dizzy.

"Shigure, bring the first aid kit..." He said, sending a mortal glare to Kyo, who had caused that hole scene.

"Why the fuck is there a girl here?!" Kyo asked Yuki; now feeling guilty.

"She's living with us..."

"A girl... LIVING WITH YOU TWO?!" Kyo said in disbelief

"Yeah... It's because she was-" Apparently, Kyo would never know why; since all the attention was focused on a now fainted Tohru.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru woke up in her bed. _"Weird..."_ she thought. _"I remember waking up today..."_ She thought again and hopped out of her bed. She immediately realized: She had to wake everyone up, because in her mind, the day was just starting and they had to go to school and Shigure had to work. She got changed in a minute and started running thought the house to call the boys.

She entered the first room she saw and didn't even bother to knock. Tohru entered the room and took sometime to figure out what was right in front of her. An orange-haired boy stood shirtless in the middle of the room punching the air. When he realized someone was watching him, he immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at the door. They both looked at each other for minutes until Kyo decided to talk.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I... Uh... Eh..." She didn't know what to say so she just said the first thing she could think of "I was just... Looking for the... Um... Kitchen!"

He looked at her a little confused, but didn't have time to say anything else because she quickly exited the room. He stood there for sometime after that, just thinking about what had just happened.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru picked up the groceries she'd just bought. She left the supermarket and started slowly walking. Her thoughts were stuck at this morning's 'incident' In Kyo's room.

She was so involved with her thoughts that she didn't even realize it had started raining until her grocery bags were totally full of water. She then panicked _"THE GROCERIES!"_ She thought as she started running and stopped at a shop to buy an umbrella.

The day wasn't really what someone would call beautiful. The skies were gray and the clouds were blocking the sun. That left only the streets to appreciate. Tohru was already heading home, and she couldn't wait to take off those wet clothes and put something comfortable...

**_XxXxXxX_**

SPLISH, SPLASH, SPLISH, SPLASH. That was the sound of Kyo's shoes in the wet sidewalk. Raindrops ran though his face and soaked orange hair as he calmly walked home from his training in the dojo.

Kyo usually didn't like rain... Actually, he HATED it; just like cats did. He really liked cats. For him, they were the only rational animals; the only animals who understood his sometimes fucked up mood and personality. He liked cats even more because his mother used to call him "her little cat", and because that was one of the few memories he had of her. He smiled at the thought of his mother, and a memory suddenly popped up in his mind...

_*Flashback*_

_"C'mon Kyo! You'll be late for school!" His mother said in a sing-song voice._

_The little boy wasn't paying attention though. His eyes were focused on the little kitten trying to protect himself from the cold rain._

_His mother, seeing he'd not move until the cat was safe, grabbed her raincoat and carefully picked up the small animal from the street. She came back home and showed the cat to her son. "Do you see this cat, Kyo?" She didn't even waited for an answer as it was obvious he did "You see... You two are very alike." She paused and smiled "You two share a certain aversion towards rain" She laughed "And you like to stay alone in the rooftops just like he does." She looked Kyo in the eye and said "So why don't we leave him resting here at home so that when you come home from school you can play with him?"_

_"But mom... I don't like school... People are always teasing me about my hair and they never want to play with me! It would be a lot easier if I could just stay here..."_

_The woman straightened his hair and said "Kyo, people tease you because they don't know that you're special."_

_"Me? Special?!" He said surprised that someone considered him special._

_"Yes. People don't know that inside this little heart of yours," She pointed at his chest "...there's endless love. But someday... Someday someone that you care about will be able to recognize the wonderful person that you are. And when that happens, you'll be sure that this person is The One for you..." She kissed him slightly on the forehead and they left to school, leaving the kitten comfortably sleeping in the couch... _

_*End of Flashback*_

Kyo smiled at that memory and continued walking. His mind was racing with random thoughts. He thought about his mom. Her beautiful smile. A smile that... Reminded him of someone... _"But who could it be?..."_ He was so busy with his thoughts that he almost stepped on the tail of a kitten.

Kyo looked at the little animal and bent down to pet the cat. He felt the cat's soft fur in his hands and... Suddenly it stopped raining. _"But how could it be?"_ He thought, still hearing the raindrops hit the ground. He looked up to see a beautiful face. It was Tohru and she stood there, holding her umbrella over his head so he wouldn't get anymore wet.

"Tohru..." He managed to say. She smiled and he couldn't help but smile back, even if it was a small smile. He let go of the cat and stood up. Kyo picked up one of the grocery bags and they started walking side by side underneath the umbrella. They remained silent the rest of the way home, just enjoying each other's company in silence. That's when he finally figured out whose smile reminds him of his mom's... It was Tohru's kind and affectionate smile...

**_XxXxXxX_**

**Ooooook... so this was another chapter... What did you guys think? The main idea for this chapter was to show a little bit of Kyo's kindness and love for his mother, and also improve his relationship with Tohru, so if it was not clear during the reading please tell me! Well...** **I've got some surprises coming for you next chapter XD! Good night for you (I live in Brazil, so it's 2 a.m...) and REVIEW! **


	3. Midnight Partner

**Never too late**

**Chapter 3- Midnight Partner**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot line.**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so so so so so so sooooo sorry for not updating these days! I went to a farm in the middle of nowhere and there was no connection with the internet, so... I'm truly sorry! I also wanted to dedicate this chapter to a friend of mine (Ju, I hope you like it if you're actually reading it) cause it actually happened to her in real life. **

_"The moment I think about you_

_I go to another world_

_A world where you love me too_

_And where I can never be hurt_

_The truth is I don't know what to say_

_My mind goes completely blank_

_I have never in my life lost my way_

_But my heart with your love simply sank_

_If letting go was a choice_

_Then I definitely would_

_But I can't control the strong voice_

_That's telling me I never should_

_My love for you is way too strong_

_For me to simply forget_

_Some people might think it's wrong_

_But loving you is the one thing I shall not regret."_

_-Nora_

_**XxXxXxX**_

"Shigure, this is not fair!" Kyo yelled at his cousin; bursting out of his office. A week had passed by and the Sohmas were already used to living with the lovely Tohru, so she was

"Well Kyo, you'll have to go back to school someday." Shigure said

"No I won't! Just leave me alone!" Kyo marched upstairs and slammed the door behind him.

Tohru didn't want to intrude, but she felt like he needed someone to talk. She knocked on his door and said "Hey Kyo... Um... I-If you need someone to talk, y-you can talk t-to me... O-ok? He just groaned and she left to do her chores.

**_XxXxXxX_**

It was already dark. The sky was grey and blue, and the moon was covered by black clouds.

Tohru was already making dinner when it started raining, and it looked like a storm was about to come.

After they ate, Shigure went to his room while the teenagers watched TV. Not a long time after that, Yuki went to sleep too; leaving Tohru and Kyo alone in the living room.

"Kyo-kun, what were you discussing with Shigure earlier?" Tohru finally broke the silence.

"The pervert wants me to go to school..." He said with a boring expression.

Tohru looked at him for a while before asking again "But that's good... Right? I mean... You'd be able to make new friends, you'd be next to Yuki... And..."

"Tohru, I hate Yuki... There's no reason at all for me to want to go to school, damnit!" He replied

Her face turned a little red and there was a flash of something in her eyes that he couldn't recognize... Sadness, maybe? Well, he wouldn't be able to know because she ran upstairs, and before she locked herself in her room, she said in an almost inaudible whisper "... And you would be next to me..."

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Stupid. I AM SO STUPID!" Kyo said to himself while he walked around the room. _"I am pretty sure Tohru is fucking mad at me!"_ He thought as he sat on his bed. It was two o'clock in the morning and he realized he wouldn't be able to sleep. Kyo left his room then, going to the living room to find Tohru sitting on the couch, probably because she couldn't sleep too...

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Huh... Tohru..?" Kyo mannaged to say.

"Eh... Kyo-kun? Wh-what are you doing here?" She asked with a distant tone of voice.

"I couldn't sleep... The same about you?" He replied

"Yeah..."

"Look Tohru... About what happened earlier... I... I'm so..." He started to form the words in his mouth, but was interrupted by a bright flash of light coming through the window, followed bu a loud thunder. When Tohru heard that, she hid herself under the big blankets she had brought to the room, trying to hide from the noise somehow.

"Tohru... Are you afraid of storms?" Kyo asked calmly; getting closer so that he could see her face.

"Uh... N-no, I just-" She wasn't really sure about what she was going to say, but didn't get the chance to finish her sentence anyway, because another thunder echoed through the place.

That was enough for Kyo to figure out she was really scared. "Come here." He said sitting down on the couch. She obeyed. He put his arm around her shoulder and they sat there, just appreciating each other's presence.

A few hours later, Tohru was sleeping peacefully on Kyo's lap as he ran his hands through her hair. He actually was enjoying that moment. The feeling of her skin touching his; her soft shiny hair in his hands; her beautiful calm features... Wait... WHAT? _"WHAT THE FUCK AM I THINKING ABOUT?"_ He thought as he looked at her face. _"I better take her to her room..."_ He thought and did exactly what his thoughts said.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru woke up to find herself in her bed. She looked at the clock. Three thirty a.m... She then remembered about what happened when Kyo came downstairs and found her alone. She remembered his warm hands holding her. She remembered his small smile that helped to calm her down during that night's storm. And she couldn't help but think that maybe. Just maybe. She felt something more than friendship towards him... She lied in her bed for a while before almost jumping with the sound of a thunder. From all the things, she had to be afraid of thunderstorms... Why? She got up without thinking and left her room.

Walking through the dark corridors just increased her fear. Her heart jumped inside of her chest, and she did the first thing that came on her mind. She knocked once and he didn't answer. _"Maybe he is already asleep..."_ She thought and knocked again. This time he did answer.

"Hey Tohru... What are you doing here?"

"Uh... I was wondering... If I could..." She trailed off. She didn't have the slightest idea of how to tell him that.

"If you could...?"

"Hum... Sleep with you..." She said blushing. He stared at her face and answered a while later.

"Huh... Yeah, sure." He stepped inside to make room to let her in. She slowly entered his bedroom, paying attention to every single thing, while he looked at her face, examining her emotions.

Tohru looked at some old photographs, Kyo's martial art weapons, and finally laid her eyes in an old baseball hat. She was sure she'd seen it before. She searched deep in her mind and found an old memory that somehow managed to never be noticed before...

_*Flashback*_

Tohru was crying under a big green tree. She was lost, and couldn't find her way home. Her mother had been shopping, and before leaving she told her five year-old daughter to wait for her until she came back. The little girl wasn't scared. No. On the contrary. She opened the front door to watch some kids playing and ended up lost, miles away from home.

Minutes that looked more like hours passed by, and little Tohru got more worried by each second, until came her savior. A little boy that happened to be walking at the same place and at the same time came over to her and kneeled to look better at her face. He wasn't really older than her. Taller for sure, but not older. He examined her pretty face and took her hand, and, without a word, he led her through the crowded streets.

They walked, hands intertwined. Both of them quiet, but at the same time, filled with thoughts. She wasn't really paying attention at the streets. Her eyes and thoughts were all focused on the same thing: the mysterious boy walking with her. He had a proportional face to his body. His big red eyes shined with the daylight, and he had a concentrated expression on his face. When he realized she was staring at him, he looked at her and smiled. A whole-hearted smile. He stopped walking and stared at her right in the eye. He then turned her to show where they were. She looked up and her own house stood right in front of her. She turned again to find that the boy wasn't there anymore...

_*End of Flashback*_

When she remembered that, her mind started racing with thoughts. _"Could Kyo be..."_ She thought. Her head was spinning, and she would certainly fall if Kyo wasn't there to hold her. Kyo must have noticed when she started to feel dizzy, because he quickly closed the door and held her shoulders from behind to guide her towards the bed. They lay down in a way that Kyo could put his right arm under her head without it being uncomfortable for both of them. Tohru quickly fell asleep, leaving Kyo thinking about that night until he slept too.

**_XxXxXxX _**

Tohru woke up disoriented. She felt something holding her and the intense body heat radiating from under the covers. She opened her eyes to see herself embraced by Kyo's strong arms. Her head lay on his chest and his head rested on hers. Her hands were placed on his chest too, and their legs were tangled under the blankets. She felt his warm breath on her hair as his fingers drew imaginary circles on her arm.

She looked up and saw that Kyo was already awake. She was able to contemplate his features for a minute before he looked down and saw her looking at him. None of them dared to shift their gaze somewhere else, being both of them penetrated with each other's gaze. Their little staring competition was over when Tohru decided to speak. "Eh... I got to... Hum... Make breakfast..."

"Ah... Yeah... Breakfast... I had totally forgotten about that..." With that, she got up and walked to the door. She slowly opened it and looked back at him.

"Kyo..." He stopped staring at the ground to meet her eyes again. "Thank you..." She smiled and went away.

"Anytime you need... I'll be here..."

**_XxXxXxX_**

**Ok... So, how did it go? I decided to make this chapter a little longer because I haven't been updating as usual... I'm really exited to know what you guys are gonna think about it, cause I spent my time in the farm writing and rewriting it, so It could be at least presentable to you... **

**Well, next chapter will be basically about Shigure. I will show a little bit about his life (Akito will also appear. And in my fic, he is a she) and I will work on some ideas to the future...**

**So, I decided to ask some questions in each chapter from now on, so that you guys answer me and ask me new questions... Here it goes:**

**1- Did you like this chapter?**

**2- What are your ideas for the next chapter?**

**3- Should I continue writing or am I just another cheap writer who should buy nine cats and be alone for the rest of my life with my failed books?**

**And this were the questions for today. Hope you enjoyed it, see you soon!**

***BROFIST***

**Byeeeeee!**


	4. Unexpected Revelations

**Never Too Late**

**Chapter 4- Unexpected Revelations**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I only don't own anything, because if I said I did, Natsuki Takaya would probably sue me. **

**A/N: Hello bros! Chappie 4 is finally on! I'm sorry if I kept you waiting for a long time, it's just that my school is back and my internet really sucks... In addition, I had a REAL hard time posting this chapter since I had to write it twice before actually posting, because my computer refused to save the files with the fanfiction... Anyways, just enjoy the chapter!**

_"The first night they meet_

_He knew it to be true_

_This girl who lied before him_

_Was genuine and true_

_He looked into her eyes_

_The deep browns didn't hesitate_

_And he knew_

_She loved him just as much as he did_

_The nights turned into mornings_

_The days went by so quick_

_His chances seemed to slip away_

_With every day that went_

_Then finally the day had come_

_She said she couldn't wait.._

_Time had passed so swiftly_

_He was far too late_

_It was then he realized_

_He made a huge mistake_

_He let the girl he loved_

_Simply slip away…"_

_-Ernesto Prince_

_**XxXxXxX**_

Shigure didn't feel anything anymore. He felt the same empty feeling from the moment when he woke up, and the daylight filled the room; until he went to bed and the moon and the stars shined in the night sky. The joyful mornings, the happy afternoons and the cold but comforting nights were gone with Her. His body was stuck in earth, but his mind was somewhere else... Somewhere in the past where times were still good...

_*Flashback*_

The couple walked slowly in the park. The wind blew away all the bad things, and the green trees shined with grace. That was one of the few moments they could be together because it didn't matter how much they loved each other, her mother wouldn't agree with a marriage, so she wouldn't let the girl and the boy see each other often. But it all started when they fell in love. It was great. It FELT great. Everything seemed to be better, but there was a problem. Like in every fairy tail, something had to go wrong. The problem was she was rich and famous, and also betrothed to a boy from another powerful family; and he was poor and an excluded member of the same family.

But that didn't seem to matter to the couple in love. That afternoon, while they were walking in the park, he decided to leave everything behind and run away with the love of his life.

"Akito... I can't stand the idea of you marrying that guy..." They looked at each other for a couple of minutes before she spoke

"I know, Shigure... I can't stand it either, but we'll... We'll figure a way out of it. " She said, unsure of her own words.

"Why don't you run away with me...?" He said expectantly. But he would have never thought that she would agree...

*End of Flashback*

Shigure entered the kitchen to find Tohru already doing her chores.

"Good morning young Tohru! How is my beautiful flower today?!" He said, masking his sadness very well.

"Good morning Shigure-san! I feel great, thank you! And how are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm doing just fine!" He lied "By the way, I have a surprise for you all!

"A surprise?" She asked innocently.

"Yes, but you three are going to have to wait until the end of the day."

When he said that, Kyo joined the conversation while walking into the kitchen.

"Wait for what?"

"Shigure-san said it's a surprise..." Tohru replied, her eyes shining with happiness, since it was the first time someone said that to her since her mother's death.

"Don't go trusting this pervert's words Tohru!" Kyo shouted while pointing his finger to the adult.

"Why do you do that to me Kyo?!" Shigure said with false tears streaming down his cheeks. Kyo just groaned and went towards the fridge. With that, Shigure announced he would be leaving to the market and asked if Tohru wanted to come with him. She looked at Kyo, who had a suspicious look in his eyes, but nodded and left with him.

_**XxXxXxX**_

"Eh, Shigure-san... I'm sorry, but... This is not the market..." Tohru said as gently as she could.

"Yes, I know Tohru."

The girl looked up at the enormous gates in front of her. Her eyes scanned every inch of the great residence entrance she was standing in front of. It looked like a small but rich village to tell the truth. There was a big red wooden gate and tall walls surrounding the whole area.

Shigure leaned forward and pressed a button with the number 16 written on it. After a while, a male voice answered saying "Hello?"

"Hello Hatori..." Shigure replied. He didn't need to say anything else, because the gates immediately opened, revealing an amazing sight. There was a large main street leading to big japanese styled houses. In the end of the street, kilometers away from the entry, there was a giant house -even larger than the others, Tohru noticed- probably the main house; and the place was surrounded by beautiful gardens. The girl looked at Shigure with amazement. She had never seen anything like that. The fancy houses almost smelled like money, to tell the truth. Shigure started moving, and Tohru followed him speechless. She could sense his tense body near; and when she managed to catch up with his pace, she thought she caught a glimpse of apprehension coming from his eyes.

"Shigure-san, what are we doing here?" Tohru asked, not even knowing what was that place. A few minutes passed and Tohru realized he wasn't going to answer, so she looked at him expectantly. He had a frown, and looked really, REALLY worried about something. He then noticed she had her eyes on him and turned his head to fully look at her.

"Oh... Sorry Tohru, what did you say?" He was clearly not paying attention.

"Uh, what are we doing in this place?" She repeated the question and he finally answered with a smirk.

"It's time that you meet some of the Sohma family members..."

_**XxXxXxX**_

"Well, Hatori, could you at least tell me if she's here or not?!" Shigure asked his friend as politely as he could. "We arrived almost 30 minutes ago, and Hatori refused to tell me where the hell Akito was!" He though while trying to convince his friend. They had arrived in snow. The streets were all white and he knew exactly why his friend Hatori had refused to meet him somewhere else. Hatori hated the rain now, because it reminded him of Kana. They arrived at the house and Momiji immediately took Tohru outside. He and Hatori had been discussing their past. Digging up memories that should have been buried a long time ago.

Tohru on the other hand, had met Momiji, and was now out in the snow playing with him.

"Hey Momiji, is Hatori-san always that serious?" Tohru asked curiously

Momiji looked at her for a couple of minutes before answering

"Yeah... He's like that because he... He lost the love of his life. Just like Shigure-san. I guess that's why they are so close friends..." He said not bothering to hide his tears.

"What do you mean...?" She didn't want to push him, but she was really curious.

"Well, Hatori had a girlfriend, and they loved each other so much!" He said happy, but his smile soon faded away as he told the rest of the story "You see, Gure-san loved a girl, Akito; and she is Hatori-chan's little sister." She tried to process the information, but he continued before she could "Hatori's mother didn't approve his relationship with Kana the same way she didn't approve Akito's relationship with Gure-nii... Since then, Hatori and Shigure-san have been really good friends, and after Shigure's father died, Tori-chan helped him get through it. He even gave Shigure that house you're living in!" He said enthusiastically.

"I... I didn't know..." Was the only thing Tohru managed to say. She wanted to be strong, but her eyes were full of tears; and when she tried to hide it, they started falling. She was quite aware of Shigure's nervousness when they arrived, but she'd have never figured out it was because of a girl. And suddenly, a thought made it's way inside her head; and although she thought it would be inappropriate to ask, her mouth decided to act on her own.

"Why didn't they run away?" She asked and then covered her mouth with her right hand, not believing what she'd just said.

"Who?"

"Both of them! Why didn't they...?"

"Well, Shigure and Akito thought about that, but when the day came, Gure-san decided not to go, because of his father's ill conditions... Hatori-san was different though. He chose to let Kana go and live her life with someone who deserved her. He realized that because he loved her, he should let her go..." With that, Tohru couldn't hold it anymore. The tears burned in her cheeks and her eyes were all red.

"Tohru, what's wrong?" A voice came from inside the house. Tohru looked up to find Hatori AND Shigure standing next to the door looking worried.

"Ah... Eh... N-nothing! Everything is just... Just fine..." She managed to say between tears. The men looked puzzled. "Did Momiji do something to her?" Shigure thought as he approached the girl.

"Well, we should get going..." Shigure said to Hatori. He helped Tohru get up and they said goodbye to the others.

They were walking on the Sohma condom street for a while now, both silent. Suddenly, Shigure stopped. It took a couple of minutes for Tohru to realize he wasn't following, but when she did, she stopped and looked back. He had the same frustrated expression from when they arrived. She decided to say something then

"Shigure-san... Are you ok...?" He looked at her and replied

"Yeah... I'm fine... Um, I'm just curious... What did Momiji tell you?"

She looked at the ground embarrassed and held her own hands, then said "he was telling me about Akito..."

"Ah..." He answered. He looked somewhere else, trying not to make eye contact with her "Tohru... Let me give you an advice." He finally looked her in the eye and said sincerely "When you find someone really important in your life..." He paused and took a deep breath "... someone that you want to share your days with. Someone so important that you'd give your life for her..." He trailed, and for a moment she thought he had nothing more to say. She looked down and prepared to turn around and start walking again, when he surprised her saying: "Don't give up your love for this person. No matter what..." He finished and she nodded, smiling slightly. He approached her and offered her his elbow. She intertwined her right arm with his left one and they left. But when they were closing the entrance gates, Shigure saw a figure hiding behind a tree, and he was sure... That that person was Sohma Akito.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE GOING TOMORROW?!" Kyo's scream could be heard from the other side of the house.

After Shigure and Tohru came back from the Sohma residence, they ate dinner and Shigure announced his surprise...

_*Flashback*_

"My lovely trio! Let me tell you the wonderful news!" Shigure announced excitedly after dinner

"Wonderful... news...?" Yuki repeated

"Yeah, what are you talking about Shigure?" Kyo's voice filled the room and Tohru just sat quietly watching all the mess

"Well, as you all know, your classes will only start two weeks from today..." Shigure ignored Kyo's questions. The kids's classes were over about a week ago, and they had been doing nothing during that time. "... So, we are traveling to the Sohma island!"

Kyo looked at him hatefully. Shigure then spoke again "And we are going tomorrow!" He said that and left the kitchen with a big smile. Kyo stood there, his mind freaking out. Why? He knew that going to the Sohma island meant that the others were going too. And spending two weeks with them wouldn't be easy...

_*End of Flashback*_

"Yes Kyo, we're going tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful? Tohru will be able to meet the other Sohmas!" He said laughing. Kyo and Yuki looked each other in the eye and then looked back at Shigure. They had a hateful expression. Shigure realized it and ran as fast as he could to his room. The boys followed, leaving Tohru alone.

"Why don't they want me to know the rest of their family...?" Tohru mumbled to herself as she washed the dishes. Were they ashamed of her? Did she do something wrong? She hoped not. She didn't want to be a burden for the boys. She wanted them to like her the same way she did. Especially Kyo. For some reason, she wanted Kyo to like her the most, but she couldn't understand why. She continued washing the dishes until she heard someone stepping into the kitchen. She turned around to see Yuki leaning on the doorframe.

"Uh, Yuki-kun..."

"Hello, Honda-san. Do you need any help?"

"Oh no! I don't want to cause you any trouble!" She said worried about what he'd think of her.

"It's no trouble at all..." He said as he made his way towards the sink. There was an awkward silence in the room, so Tohru tried to release the tension

"Yuki-kun... Is everything okay?"

"Yeah... I was just thinking..."

"About what?" She was more curious than she sounded

"Well... Sometimes I feel like... Like no one actually likes me. I mean... Look at Kyo. He may be as dumb as a door, but he actually has friends..." He said with millions of thoughts running through his head.

"But you sure are very popular!" Tohru tried to cheer him up.

"Me? I'm just a figure. No one actually cares about me. For them, I'm just the student council's president... Nothing else." He stated sadly

"I see... Well, I think you're great!" She smiled and looked at him. He smile too and approached her

"Thank you..." He said as he played with one of her curls "...Tohru."

**_XxXxXxX_**

**Finally right? Yeah, I'm really sorry! Hehe... Well, time for the questions!**

**1- What do you think will happen in the Sohma Island?**

**2- Tell me 5 characters you want me to include in their trip. The 5 most voted will make an appearance next chapter!**

**3- What did you think of Shigure's life? Liked the idea of Akito being Hatori's little sister?**

**And those were the questions! Please review guys! I'd love to hear what ya think! **

***brofist***  
**Byeeeeee**


	5. Turquoise Blue Water

**Never Too Late**

**Chapter 5- Turquoise Blue Water**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, Natsuki Takaya would probably be poor. **

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! This is the chapter you've been waiting for! I've read you comments, and I'd like to thank each and everyone who has been reading this... Without you I wouldn't have gotten this far! Thanks!**

_"The grass so green,_

_The sun so bright,_

_Life seems a dream,_

_No worries in sight_

_Tans and tank tops,_

_Laughter and bliss,_

_Each moment passes,_

_Without even a miss_

_Friends and cookouts,_

_Memories and laughs,_

_Good times to remember,_

_But how long will it last_

_The grass soon fades,_

_Leaves begin to fall,_

_School replaces sleepovers,_

_Oh I'll miss it all..."_

_-Destinee_

**_XxXxXxX_**

Yuki woke up to the sound of screaming coming from downstairs. He opened one eye to look around his room, and with that done, he gathered his courage and went to take a shower.

Kyo, however, woke up really early and went outside to train his martial arts. Tohru woke up early too, and started packing her stuff for the long trip they were about to go on.

Shigure wasn't sure if he wanted to get up or just lay on his bed until someone came to call him. He decided that leaving his bed was the safest thing to do, since he wouldn't want to travel with a purple eye. He got up and did the same thing as Yuki.

In the meantime, Tohru finished packing and went to find the boys; after all, they needed to be at the airport at noon, and it was almost 11 o'clock now.

She reached Kyo's room, but couldn't find anyone. _"Where could he be...?"_ She thought and realized she knew exactly where he was. She rushed downstairs and opened the door in the back of the house. She started walking towards the forest and stopped when she saw a the orange haired running on her direction.

"Kyooo... Kun?" He ran past her and quickly entered the house. She looked back to where he was running from and could only process what was coming towards her when a cloud of dust covered her head to toe. It was a girl. A very pretty one. Tohru got back to the house to find Kyo being hugged by the same girl and she was screaming things like: "Why didn't you call me!" Or "Who is that? Your new girlfriend Kyo-kyo?! How dare you?!" But Tohru wasn't really listening. She looked at Kyo, who looked terrified, and then back to the girl, who seemed to suffer from a change of humor every second that passed.

With all that happening, Shigure joined the teenagers and said to Tohru "I see you've met Kagura!" When the girl heard her name, she immediately stopped hugging poor Kyo and straightened herself. She walked towards Tohru and started talking again.

"Hum... So you're my newest competition... Not bad at all..." She said while examining every inch of Tohru's body. Realizing the situation, Kyo finally spoke

"Kagura, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" He yelled, and the girl suddenly started crying.

"Kyo, my love! Why do you do that to me? I'm not that dumb, you know!" She started crying and infecting Kyo with all that cheesy love words. While the two 'lovebirds' argued, Tohru quietly asked Yuki what was on her mind.

"What... What is she talking about...?"

"Well, Kagura has this... 'Thing' for Kyo, as you can see... And whenever she sees a girl talking... Or even next to him, she freaks out..." He said, trying to choose his words correctly.

"Oh... I see..." Tohru said even more quietly than before.

"She's also our cousin" Kyo stated with a bored expression in his face. Tohru's eyes brightened. "I'm finally starting to meet the other Sohmas!" She thought, absent-mindedly.

"Hey, my kids! I'm sorry to put your little party to an end, but we really do have to go!" Shigure said, turning serious.

The three teenagers looked at each other and Kyo decided to speak. "Goodbye Kagura!" He said almost happy; but his smile soon disappeared when she spoke

"Why are you saying goodbye? I'm coming with you!" She said smiling widely.

"WHAT?" Kyo asked to no one in specific.

"Ah... Yeah... I kinda forgot to mention... The other Sohmas are coming too..." Shigure said, and they left for the airport.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"H-hey... K-kyo... Kun..." Tohru said, trying not to stutter, but failing. The Sohmas were already entering the airplane. They had arrived at the airport about 30 minutes ago, and Tohru finally got to meet some of the Sohma family members. After Kagura, she got to know Ayame, who arrived along with Hatori and Momiji just in time to board...

_*Flashback*_

Tohru walked through the airport corridors along with Kyo, Yuki and Shigure. They had just gotten out of the check in line and were heading to the gates that would lead to the airplane when Shigure suddenly spoke. "Oh, there they are!"

The three teenagers looked up and saw Hatori and Momiji walking towards them; and behind the two boys, walked a tall and long haired man wearing a long red overcoat. Tohru examined the man carefully, trying to figure out who exactly he looked like, but didn't spend much time thinking about that, because the man started talking

"Oh! You must be Tohru, the goddess of kindness! The muse of intelligence! The one and only woman capable of living with this ugly and-"

"Cut it, Ayame." Yuki cut him in the middle of the sentence, realizing that people were staring. He had also seen Tohru's furious blush and assumed she was uncomfortable with all the attention.

"My brother, Yuki! I haven't seen you for so long! Come here... Give your big brother a hug!"

When Tohru heard that, she almost fell. "Eeh? Big... Brother?!" She tried not to scream, but her astonishment was so much, she couldn't help it.

"Yes indeed, Tohru, my love. Yuki and I are brothers! We have been separated when he decided to leave our parents' house to come live with Shigure, but our love for each other still grows each day, right Yuki?!" He looked excitedly for his brother and Yuki just groaned. Tohru's eyes sparkled with the thought of the two brothers really being friends, but her mind was filled with something else. The plane they were about to board into.

*End of Flashback*

"What is it Tohru?" Kyo asked her as he stepped into the airplane and looked at her, who was behind him.

"I... I'm kind of not used to travel by airplane..." She said trying to sound as brave as she could

"So...?"

"I-I'm a little scared..." She said, still gathering the courage to get inside the aircraft. Kyo noticed her nervousness and did something not even he himself expected. He stepped outside and took her hand. He looked again at their tickets and made his way to her seat. When she was already settled in the window seat, she saw he was ready to leave and without thinking, said "kyo-kun... Please... Stay here..."

He thought about it for a second and asked the other passenger if he could change seats. After he convinced the guy, he and Tohru shared a thankful glance and he finally sat down. The other Sohmas were sprawled around the plane, each one sitting in pairs and Hatori alone.

After a while, the pilot announced that they were ready to take off and the doors were closed. Tohru held kyo's right arm tight, and when the plane took off she almost screamed. After a few hours, Tohru managed to fall asleep on Kyo's arms. He watched her for a little while. It felt so... Right. He holding her like that was just good, not that he would admit it to anyone... Not even to himself. But those sensations soon faded away when they finally touched the ground.

"Tohru?" He asked gently.

"Hmm..." She mumbled and held his arm tighter.

"C'mon Tohru, we're already here." He said while running his hand through her hair. She slowly woke up, trying to remember where she was.

"Are... Are we dead?!" She asked, suddenly remembering the airplane.

"What?! No!" He screamed as if there was no one else listening. A few heads turned to their direction and Tohru blushed slightly.

"Ah... Sorry... So, we're already in the Sohma island?" She asked expecting him to say they would have to get another plane.

"Nope... But we just have to get the boat." He said. She just nodded and the family and Tohru left the airplane to get to the docks of a little island in the Caribbean Sea located about 357 miles away from their destiny, where a private boat waited for them.

On their way to the docks, Tohru admired the beautiful view, but thought about what the place they were going to would be. The Sohma island, that was actually called "La Isla de la Luna" (The Moon Island, due to the famous lunar eclipse that occurs every seven years), was a small island with little more than five thousand habitants. The place was surrounded by the beautiful Caribbean Sea (that's the reason why the island's name is in Spanish), and was a private property of the Sohma members. To get there, they had to board the plane in Japan and when arrived at a Cuban island called "Isla de la Juventud" (Island of Youth), they'd gotten a boat and finally reached The Moon Island.

Tohru looked around and saw gorgeous palm trees. The sand was so yellow, and the sun made the water transparent. The wind was warm and calm, the birds sang and when nothing could get better, they arrived at the hotel they'd stay in...

**_XxXxXxX_**

Tohru was now lying on a king size bed, wrapped around her dark green sheets, staring at the night sky. They had arrived three hours ago, and it was already dark. Memories of the day kept filling her head with thoughts and keeping her from sleeping. That sight. That sand. That turquoise blue water...

_*Flashback*_

"This... Is where we're staying...?" Tohru asked almost speechless. The place was HUGE! The girl didn't need words to describe what she felt, because her face already said it all. She stood in front of a white large mansion, with shiny windows and marble floor. There were flowers in every corner of the giant house, and green carpets of grass covered the outside.

"Yeah. This is our best house here!" Momiji said happily and they approached the housekeeper, a relatively young woman that kept apologizing for everything.

"Ah, Tohru, this is Okami-chan, our cousin and housekeeper!" Said Momiji

"I'm sorry! I'M SO SORRY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE GUTS TO INTRODUCE MYSELF PROPERLY! I'M SO SOOOOORY..." The woman got to her knees and started crying and begging for forgiveness.

"Eh... I..." Tohru started, but was interrupted

"Let's just go to our rooms... It's getting late and we need to sleep..." Yuki said and grabbed Tohru by the hand. The remaining Sohmas followed, leaving the woman crying alone.

"Oh, god... I... I hope she's fine." Tohru said worried. She didn't know for sure, but in her head, she was the reason why that woman was crying.

"She's fine. She's always like that..." Yuki revealed when they reached two big white doors. "This is your room, Honda-san." He said, opening the door to reveal a giant room. Inside, a king sized bed covered with dark green silk sheets filled the middle of the room, while in every corner stood a full bookshelf. The walls had an emerald green tone and there was a fire place and shiny windows from floor to ceiling that brightened the room.

"Yuki-kun... It... it's beautiful!" She said exited.

"We thought you'd like... If you need anything, my room is on your's right, and Kyo's on your's left." He said pointing to each room's direction.

"Um... Yuki-kun?"

"Yes?" He looked at her, smiling.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here...!" She said, truly grateful.

"You're welcome..." He said and left to his room after planting a small kiss on her cheek.

_*End of Flashback*_

Tohru examined her bedroom one more time, before falling deeply asleep. That night, the only thing she'd dreamt of was the beautiful blue water...

**_XxXxXxX_**

**What did you think? This chapter was actually just a fluffy filler. Next chapter will be more interesting, I promise! For you who are wondering about the island, yes, it exists and it's actually in the Caribbean Sea; I just changed it's name from Cayman Island to Moon Island... So, now is question time!**

** 1-What place do you prefer to have a conversation, the sunset in the beach or the fresh air in the woods?**

** 2-Who is your favorite character in Fruits Basket?**

** 3-What do you think will happen on the next chapter?**

****

Know that if you answer these, you'll be making a certain author a very happy author!

***brofist***

**Byeeeeee**


	6. Under the Moonlight

**Never Too Late**

**Chapter 6- Under the Moonlight**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, Kyo and Tohru would have kissed a lot earlier...**

**A/N: Well, I'm here again (weather you like it or not) with another chapter! Thanks for the reviews and PMs, without them I wouldn't actually have anything to write on this chapter...! But let's just get to the story, shall we?**

_"As I walk across the earth,_

_thousands of things I get to see._  
_Birds fly high, soaring higher,_  
_and on the flowers I hear the buzz of bees._

_The sun at the dawn, rises within the hills._  
_Mountains covered with snow,_  
_shining like the crown of silver. _  
_And the waves touching the cliffs._  
_The waterfall flowing down_  
_the green-blue mountains._  
_Rivers forming a dream delta _  
_before entering the sea._

_And while walking on the beach at night,_  
_I feel the cool and sweet smelling breeze._  
_The slashing sound still feels like_  
_the sound of love and peace._  
_The moon over the sea,_  
_shining like a ball of gold._  
_And in every step my eyes hold wonder._  
_I bend on my knee_  
_to thank the mother earth,_  
_And is the truth._  
_it's a great pleasure for me,_  
_to live in this wonderland."_

_-Shweta Banerjee_

_**XxXxXxX**_

"Tohru, here!" Momiji's voice could be heard from the house. They (Tohru, Momiji, Kyo and Yuki) were playing in the beach for the whole morning while Hatori, Ayame and Shigure laid in the sand and observed them.

"Here you go, Momiji!" Tohru screamed and threw the red shiny ball to the little boy, who caught it right away.

"Hey Kyo, think fast!" Momiji immediately threw the ball right at Kyo's head. Kyo was furious and started running to hit Momiji, who ran too. Kyo managed to get close to Momiji, but stumbled on the ball and fell; face in the sand.

"Hey, you dumb asshole; you just ruined the game!" Yuki said with a mocking tone of voice

"Shut up stupid bastard! You're going to pay for calling me that!" Kyo said as he got up and walked to the water to clean himself up.

They were both interrupted by Tohru's sweeth laughter.

"What?!" Both asked in union.

"It's just... I don't know what I would do if I hadn't met you guys!" Kyo and Yuki looked at her with surprise "I guess my life would be sad without you all... My mom used to tell me that you must value friendship more than anything, because you never know when it might be over and it's always good to have memories, even though they're memories from something that's long gone..." Tohru said melancholically. The boys realized it and quickly started to change the subject.

"So , Tohru... Eh... Do you want to... Swim?" Kyo asked

"Um... Sure! Why not?" She replied and the three of them went inside the cold blue water.

They watched the sunset from inside the sea, and when they noticed, it was already dark.

"Hey kiddos, we better get going!" Shigure shouted from the still hot sand.

"Yeah, we're coming!" Yuki replied and they got out of the water. It took a little while for them to notice, but soon Tohru's voice filled everyone's ears with an uncharacteristic shaky tone of voice.

"Wh- Where is Momiji?"

**_XxXxXxX_**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?" If the island they were in wasn't situated in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, Kyo's scream would probably have been heard from the entire territory of Japan. They'd been discussing Momiji's dissapearance for a little while.

"Well, we should look for him..." Hatori said with a serious voice.

"Yes! Oh, poor Momiji; alone in the woods, with nothing to eat or drink...!" Ayame started telling them the many horrible things that could have happened to the little boy, while Tohru tried not to freak out.

"Let's split up and look for him in the woods." Sugested Shigure worriedly.

"Sounds like a good idea..." Hatori said and they decided that Tohru and Kyo would look for Momiji togheter; Yuki would go with Ayame, that practically begged to get a chance to know his little brother better; and Shigure would search for the boy with Hatori.

After a while, they had split up and Tohru and Kyo wondered through the woods. The unconfortable silence between the two of them was held for what looked like hours, until Tohru decided to ease the tension.

"So... Kyo-kun... Isn't it great to be here with everyone...?"

It took him a little while, but he answered the question "Yeah... Except for the part where Yuki, that ridiculous asshole, had to come along!"

"I'm sorry to ask, but... Why do you hate each other so much?" Tohru tried to hide her curiosity, but failed.

"Well... When we were young he was smart, knew how to do things, and was popular. People around him knew what he could do and respected him and... If I had to chose... I guess I's rather be him..." He stated to himself, but of course, she heard it.

Tohru couldn't believe it. _"Kyo-kun is... Jealous of Yuki-kun?"_ She thought amazed. It was ironic really, that both of them were jealous of each other... But from her point of view, they had their own qualities.

"You know... Sometimes I wonder why... Why are people envious of what others have if they have their own good points...?" Now she'd caught his attention

Kyo was about to answer, but she started to talk again, this time, so low that he couldn't listen "I wonder why doesn't he sees his own good points...?" She paused for a while, deep in thought

"Ah... Maybe it's on the backside" This time he did listen

"Huh?" He said in confusion

"Well, you see... A person's good points are like the sour ploom in the riceball. The problem is the sour ploom is on the backside, so in this world, everyone's backside has various different colors and tastes, but no one can see his or her own sour ploom."

"What? That doesn't have anything to do with me!" He yelled, instantly regretting it when he saw her innocent face

" Er... sorry" She said a little embarrased for such a speech. "My point is... You just admire others' qualities, but never see your own." Thoru simply stated and they walked in silence until something unexpected came from his lips

"I can see it you know?" He almost whispered

"What?"

"A sour ploom. Your back has it too. I can see it..."

She smiled at him and, as incredibly as it sounds, she saw his expression change for a quick minute. His face was calm and his mouth, although barely visible, showed the shadow of a genuine smile.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Tooooohru-chaaaaan!" Momiji shouted from Hatori's back. They (Tohru and Kyo) had walked for three and a half hours until they decided to stop and go back just to see Momiji safe and sound already inside the house. Of course Kyo was furious, but he was so tired he didn't even complain.

"Momiji-kun! I'm glad you're fine!" Tohru said truly relieved. They all went inside and, after a good bath, gathered at the dinning table.

"Hum... This smells nice!" Shigure said exited.

"Oh Shigure-san, I brought some of the rice balls that were in the fridge so that they wouldn't spoil... Would you want one?" Tohru asked taking from her bag a large pot with different flavoured riceballs.

Shigure's eyes sparkled with the idea of eating Tohru's homemade riceballs. "Tohru, you are an angel! Taking care of us even when we're not home! I don't know what I would do without you!" He said while putting five riceballs into his plate and smiling widely. "Actually... I'm more worried about what _those_ two would do without _you_..." He whispered so only Tohru could hear it. She instantly blushed and the others started laughing at her tomato red face, even without knowing why she was furiously blushing.

Dinner went by quickly and when everybody was satisfied, the teenagers went to watch some TV while the adults sat by the porch.

"Shigure, how you holding up?" Ayame asked concerned with an unusual serious voice

"Huh? Sorry, what?" He asked confused. His mind had really been somewhere else lately. And this specific somewhere had a name and a surname.

"Shigure I believe we have some matters to discuss..." Said Hatori equally preocupied as Ayame.

"And what matters do you want to discuss?" He was pretty sure what they wanted to talk about, but pretended not to.

"I think you know very well..." Ayame said. "Have you seen her lately?" He asked aware that his cousin knew what he was talking about, but didn't want to comment on the subject. That was a forbidden topic. Something Shigure wanted to push to the back of his mind, where he kept the unwanted memories, but knew that someday it would have to be discussed.

"Yeah" he replied in a sigh. "I saw her when we were leaving the Sohma's residential area..."

"We...?" Ayame suddenly asked curious.

"Tohru and I." Shigure didn't know why, but presumed that his cousin's satisfied grin couldn't mean any good.

"Only three weeks has passed and you already took her to meet the family? She must be a piece of heaven." Commented Ayame, still grinning largely

"She's a good girl." Hatori joined the conversation

"A good girl? Are you kidding me? Tohru is simply the best thing that has ever happened to us!" Shigure said excited.

"And what makes you say so?" Ayame still didn't quite understand what was so special about the girl.

"Haven't you noticed?" Shigure said with a calm tone of voice.

"Noticed what exactly?" Ayame said playing with his cup of tea.

"She's changing them, Ayame." Shigure finally told his friend. "Don't you see the way they look at her?" He asked a little taken aback by the fact none of his cousins had noticed the way the two teenage bous acted in front of the girl.

"Well, I admit Yuki has changed, and Kyo is completely different from the little boy that left to train in the mounains years ago..." Ayame agreed with Shigure, and Hatori just nodded.

"Yeah, I think those boys did something we didn't... They chose well..." Hatori mumbled sadly

"My friends, I think it will be quite amusing to watch her choose one of them..." Shigure said ignoring Hatori's comment and smirking. With that, the trio walked back inside the house.

_**XxXxXxX**_

_****_**  
**"Hey, Momiji-kun, what happened earlier today? I mean... How'd you get lost?" Tohru asked while the other boys watched something in the TV.

"I was running from Kyo and when I realized, I was in the middle of the woods and didn't know how to get back!" Momiji said almost crying with the thought. Tohru suddenly remembered something that had happened when she was a child.

"You know, I got lost once too..." She told him with a smile on her face.

"Really? What happened?" He asked concerned.

"My mom left to go to the supermarket and I went outside to look at some kids that were playing on the street. I was so involved with everything outside that I only realized that I wasn't near home when it was already getting dark." She examined his face and made sure he was playing attention before continuing. "I was really scared, and I couldn't seem to think straight, so I sat at the feet of a big green tree and cried... After a while, I saw a boy approaching where I was. He offered me his hand and helped me to get up. He held my hand tight and started leading me through the mass of people, and when I realized, we were in the front yard of my house..." She sighed as she finished telling him that. That was a happy memory she wished she would never forget.

"Wow... That was... THE CUTEST STORY I'VE EVER HEARD!" Momiji smiled brightly and hugged Tohru

"I think he probably was my first love..."Without thinking, Tohru let it out. Something that even to her, was new. She didn't know those feelings existed until she examined the memory again; and here she was admitting it, not only to herself, but to the boy who had that same hat. Could it be a coincidence? She looked at Kyo. His body was tensed. His jaw and fists clenched. His face was neutral, but she could tell he was fighting with himself not to blush.

"I'm going to... take a shower..." Kyo muttered and quickly left the room. Before she could do anything, Momiji said what was on his mind

"Who was this boy, Tohru-chan?"

"I... I don't know, Momiji..." She didn't know who the boy was, but had her suspicions. And one of them was that her first love had been Kyo Sohma...

_**XxXxXxX**_

_**Well, bros... What did you think? Liked it or loved it? ;D Hahaha just kidding... I have some good news for ya: I've already started writing the next chapteeeeer! YAAAAAAAAY... Sorry... Got a lil' excited there hihihi... So, let's start with the questions!**_

_**1-I want to know about you! Tell me 3 things about you that you feel comfortable sharing... I like the idea of us communicating a little here :)**_

_**2- Your turn! Ask **_**_ME_****_3 questions about myself and I'll be happy sharing a bit about my life with you! _****BE DECENT! ****_Hahaha_**

**_That's all for today! Thanks again for the reviews and all the kind words... I really appreciate it!_**

**_*brofist*  
Byeeeeee_**


	7. Grand Millionaire

**Never Too Late**

**Chapter 7- Grand Millionaire**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket cause I'd not be able to create such a story...**

**A/N: Sup bros? How have you been holdin' up? I'm sorry it took me so long to update, it's just that I have another fic to write, so it was kind of difficult to post this week. This is another chapter for you, so enjoy!**

_"I was once sad and lonely,_  
_Having nobody to comfort me,_  
_So I wore a mask that always smiled;_  
_To hide my feelings behind a lie._

_Before long, I had many friends;_  
_With my mask, I was one of them._  
_But deep inside, I still felt empty,_  
_Like I was missing a part of me._

_Nobody could hear my cries at night_  
_For I designed my mask to hide the lies._  
_Nobody could see the pain I was feeling_  
_For I designed my mask to be laughing._

_Behind all the smiles were the tears_  
_And behind all the comfort were the fears._  
_Everything you think you see,_  
_Wasn't everything there was to me._

_Day by day,_  
_I was slowly dying._  
_I couldn't go on,_  
_There was something missing..._

_Until now I'm still searching_  
_For the thing that'll stop my crying._  
_For someone who'll erase my fears,_  
_For the person who'll wipe my tears._

_But till then I'll keep on smiling._  
_Hiding behind this mask I'm wearing._  
_Hoping one day I can smile,_  
_Till then, I'll be here.. waiting."_

_-Potsim and Pikachu_

_**XxXxXxX**_

Kyo sighed. He was sitting in the roof for about four hours, just thinking about what had happened in the past few days. He didn't feel like staying with the other students, so he went to his usual hiding place to try to put his mind in order.

They had spent tree days on The Moon Island. Three days and everything got back to normal. Three days of freedom. Three days with Tohru... Wait... _"What the hell am I thinking?!"_ The boy shook his head, trying to expel the unwanted thoughs.

"Found you!" Kyo turned his head to the door behind him and only saw Tohru's head popping out of the gap between the door and the wall. He sighed, relieved that was her and not one of his freaking cousins.

"Hey" He turned back to watch the view an felt her presence beside him. Why was she here? Doesn't she have anywhere better to be? Like with Yuki, that cocky asshole.

"Kyo-kun... May I ask why are you here?" She looked so happy and friendly, a big smile on her face. He just didn't have the guts to ignore the question.

"Well, this place seems to be the only place that I really fit." His answer was sincere. He'd never thought about it until now, but he felt like he didn't belong anywhere else.

"That's not true!" She yelled, and he looked at her with surprise. Tohru never yelled. She must be really pissed. _"You see? That's the only thing you're good at! Making people get mad!"_ His subconcient screamed in the back of his mind. "Everyone's worried about you!" She complemented and worriedly looked at him, but before he could say anything, she took his hand and got up. "Come on! We're going to play Rich Man, Poor Man!" She said and dragged him out of the roof.

They walked togheter through the school's corridors and finally reached the classroom where all of their friends were gathered to play the card game. Tohru approached the table where Yuki, Uotani and Hanajima waited for them and sat beside her friends. Kyo took a place in front of Uotani and next to Yuki and Tohru, who started to shuffle the cards.

"Hey, I don't know how to play!" Kyo said and the girls explained

"It's simple. The objective of the game is to get rid of all the cards as fast as possible by playing progressively stronger cards than those of the previous player." Hanajima said

"The winner is the grand millionaire and the last person is the extreme needy. Then, in the next round, winners can exchange their one or more unnecessary cards for advantageous ones that losers have." Uotani finished and Tohru distributed the cards.

It didn't take long for Kyo and Uotani to start taking the game seriously and playing with all their will.

"You're going too see, orange bastard! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS!" Uotani yelled and began flipping her cards, showing the people on the table what she had.

Kyo smirked and yelled too "NOT BEFORE I KICK YOURS, YOU POISONOUS BITCH" He then, threw his cards on the table. "I'M THE GRAND MILLIONAIRE!" He screamed and the four players flipped his cards to confirm.

"No... It can't be... Y-you... YOU CHEATED! THAT'S THE ONLY RATIONAL EXPLANATION!" Uotani lost control of herself and started hitting the orange haired boy.

The other players flipped their cards and Hanajima wrote on a little black board the results:

_"Grand Millionaire- Kyo_  
_Millionaire- Uotani_  
_Commoner- Hanajima_  
_Needy- Yuki_  
_Extreme Needy- Tohru"_

"Well, these are the results." She said while showing everyone their positions.

"HANAJIMA, THIS IS WRONG! KYO WOULD NEVER WIN!" Uotani screamed again

"You just don't want to admit that I'm better than you!" The boy spoke, causing the blonde to strike him with a pipe right in the head

"Hey, where the hell did you take that from?" Kyo asked rubbing the back of his head.

"Believe me, you don't want to know..." Hanajima spoke as she stood behind him in a creepy way.

"And where did you come from?" He asked again, but now refering to the weird girl behind him.

"It doesn't matter... What matters is that it's getting late and I should go home." The girl said and left the room after saying goodbye to everyone.

"Yeah, I should probably get going too..." Uotani announced

"Finally some peace!" Kyo said, waving his hands in the air in relief.

"Shut up, asshole." Was Uotani's reply "Goodbye everyone. Goodbye Tohru, take care!" She spoke again

"Bye Uo-chan! Be safe!" Tohru replied and looked at Kyo and Yuki.

"Hey Tohru, you ready to go?" Kyo asked already walking towards the door.

"Actually, there's something I need to do before leaving..."

"Okay, do you want us to come, Honda-san?" Yuki asked smiling

"That'd be great!"

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Oh, a school play! I'd love to watch it! I haven't been in one of those since forever!" Shigure grinned happilly.

"Maybe there's a reason for that..." Kyo muttered.

"What do you mean?" The adult asked innocently.

"What do I mean? Of course you know what I mean!" The boy replied angrilly. Really, today was not a good day to mess with his patience.

"What are you thinking, Kyo?! Of course I'm not only going because of the cute and innocent high school girls! I just really want to watch the girls... I mean... The play!" Shigure yelled, and the boys just rolled their eyes.

Tohru was really happy they had agreed on doing that. She just couldn't forget what happened...

_*Flashback*_

"Where are we going Honda-san?" Yuki asked, but before she could answer, they reached their destination. They had just left the classroom where they'd played the card game with Tohru's friends and were now approaching big black double doors.

"Hey, isn't this the auditorium?" Kyo asked confused.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to come here for days, but I didn't have time, and since today is friday, I imagined that after the class they'd still be here..." The girl said smiling while she opened the doors.

"They?" Yuki asked

"Oh, Tohru! We were waiting just for you!" A girl suddenly appeared from nowhere and hugged Tohru

"Hey, Machi! I'm sorry if I'm late..." Tohru replied and hugged the girl, who was apparently called Machi.

"No problem! And you brought friends! That's great! We were really needing a cat and a rat!" The girl stepped back to look at the three teenagers

"A cat..." Kyo said

"... and a rat...?" Yuki completed.

They didn't get a reply, because before they even knew, they were being carried towards the stage.

"Okay, so let's get started!" Machi said "Here's the script." She handed each one of them a notebook.

"What is all of this?!" Kyo asked what they, Yuki and him, were dying to know.

"We're the school's drama club!" Machi said and two more people appeared on the stage. They were both girls that looked a lot like Hanajima and Uotani, although they were slightly different.

"Yeah, well... Goodbye. I'm going home!" Kyo said, throwing the script on the floor and heading to the door.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere!" Machi said, running and jumping on top of Kyo. "You're our only hope!" She said

"I don't care!" He said and got up, leaving Machi on the floor.

She looked up at him and started crying "Our dreams were just crushed! I'll never be the same as before!" Her eyes were filled with tears, but he turned and continued his way to the exit.

"Don't expect anything of him. He always chickens. Right, Bibi-kun?" Yuki provoked. Kyo stopped in the middle of a row of chairs.

"What. Did. You. Just. Call. Me...?" He asked slowly.

"What's wrong? You don't like being called that, Bibi-kun?" He teased again and this time, Kyo turned and walked until he was face to face with Yuki.

"Think twice before you call me that, idiot!" He threatened

"Hey, boys! We don't have time to your bullshit! Jeez, Tohru! How do yow manage to live with these two?" Machi asked Tohru. The girl was just pretending to cry, so she whiped off the tears and looked back at the group. "Okay, so the play is going to be like this..."

_*End of Flashback*_

_**XxXxXxX**_

"Okay, it's settled then." Shigure whispered in the phone. The boys didn't need to know what was going to happen. Let's just call it a... Surprise.

"Shigue-san, the dinner is ready!" He heard Tohru scream from the kitchen. _"Hmm, good... Let's get on with the plan."_ He thought and left his office.

When he entered the kitchen, the three of them were already eating, so he took a seat beside Tohru and, with a big smirk, continued his plan. "So, I was talking to Hatori and... We think it's about time that Tohru met the rest of the family..." He took a bite of a rice ball and looked at the boys.

Kyo looked like he would murder him righ now and right there. Yuki almost threw up everything he had eaten. "WHAT?!" They both yelled.

"Well, she's almost a part of the family, so I expect her to want to meet the rest!" He explained, trying not to look at Kyo and Yuki. They looked at Tohru, expecting her to deny and say that was a crazy idea... But that just wasn't her.

"Oh, I'd love to meet them!" She replied gracefully. Yuki and Kyo sat still for minutes before the orange haired decided to speak

"Why'd she want to do that?! They're just a bunch of fucking crazy people!" He said and stormed out of the room. There was silence for the second time. An uncomfortable silence. That kind of silence that burns inside your head. The one that makes you want to scream as loud a you can, but you never do.

Shigure cleared his throat "Uh... I think I... I'm going to bed. Dinner was explendid, Tohru! Thank you!" He said and left a fast as he could.

"Did... Did I say anything wrong?" The girl asked.

"No, no! It's just... Kyo doesn't like to talk about the Sohma clan..." Yuki replied quietly

"Is that why he's always so angry whenever one of his relatives come around?" She was indeed curious. She wanted to ask more, but didn't know how far could she push the information out of Yuki. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

Luckily, Yuki seemed to realize that she wanted to know about it and explained "Yeah... Since we were kids, Kyo was isolated from the family. His father left him when his mother died and married another woman. He was 2 years old, so Akito's father; the head of the clan, adopted him." He looked at her before continuing; just to make sure that she was ready to know. "But Kyo was never treated well because of his father's actions, that, in the clan's eyes, were seen as a betrayal." He explained and continued. "He... He used to sleep in the basement... He didn't eat with us... He didn't attend to the family meetings... He was basically thrown away by his family, and... And I didn't do anything to stop it..." Tohru didn't know how to react, so she hugged him to show he was not alone. The poor boy blaimed himself; and she knew she couldn't do anything to change his mind.

"Yuki-kun... I know what is like to live with this... Burden. The fact that something bad happened because we didn't do anything about it sooner..." She told him, remembering how she didn't say _'be safe'_ to her mom before the accident. "I know what is like to wake up everyday and think of how you could have saved someone from this bad thing but you didn't for some stupid reason..." She remembered the test she was studying for the night before her mother got hit by a car. "But most of all... I know what is like to walk home everyday and imagine _'what if I hadn't failed?'_" She finished, remembering her mom's precious picture. "But I also know that life is full of _what_'s and _if_'s, and that if something bad happened, well... there must be a very good reason for that!" She completed and put both her hands on his shoulders to be able to see his face. "So don't worry Yuki-kun! Everything's going to be fine!" She said, turning on her heels ready to leave the room.

"How do you do it?" Yuki asked before she could reach the door. She looked over her shoulder and answered

"Do what?"

"Be so positive about everything." He explained with a small smile

"Well, I guess I just try to look at the good side of things... Ever if they're not good at all..." She answered

"Could you teach me how to do it?" He practically begged

"Maybe I already am..."

"What do you mean?" He asked confused

"I'm just saying that, I may be here in this house right now so that I can teach the three of you something you will carry for the rest of your life and you can teach me something too... And that, maybe, that's the reason why my mother died in that car accident a few months ago... So that we could meet and learn with each other..." She said and left the room after sending him a little smile.

_**XxXxXxX**_

**Well, this is the end of another chapter... What did you think? I tried to make this one bigger to compensate you for the wait and, again, I'm sorry it took so long to update! For you that don't know what ****_"bibi-kun"_**** means, the translation would be something like ****_"scared cat"... _**

**Now let's get to the questions**

**1-In what country do you live? If you guys don't feel comfortable answering this, no problem! I just wanted to ask you this because I've been wondering how far you guys are from Brazil, so...**  
**2- What is the chapter you liked the most?  
3- What do you think Shigure is planning?**

**Thanks for the reviews and everything! That's what is really helping me to write this fic!**


	8. Speaking to the dead

**Never Too Late**

**Chapter 8- Speaking to the dead**

**By RealDiePie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own fruits basket, because I'm just not japanese hehehe...**

**A/N: Hello guys! I'm here again... I know I took my time to write this, but I couldn't think of anything good... But let's skip the details and just get to what really matters:**

_"I wasn't ready to let you go._  
_Even though I'm told that it was your time._  
_I can't get that through my mind._  
_I wasn't ready to let you go._

_It wasn't meant to be that way._  
_why did you go out that dreadful day._  
_It wasn't meant to be that way."_

_- Dollie Wilson_

**_XxXxXxX_**

Today wasn't just another day. It was a special day... At least for Tohru. She has gone out with her friends to celebrate this since they met; but today was different. Today she had Kyo and Yuki by her side too.

Thought it was her birthday huh? No. Today was the anniversary of her mother's death. Of course they weren't celebrating the fact that she was dead. The opposite actually. The whole point of that day was to show her that she wasn't forgotten. Tohru, Uotani and Hanajima had this habit of having lunch in front of her grave. That way, Tohru could feel close to her mother again.

"Hey! Kyo, Yuki! Want to come with us?" Uotani said. The girls arrived on their house in the morning, and since it was almost 11 o'clock, they were leaving to the cemetery.

"Where are you girls going? If you're going to the mall, no." Kyo announced coming from the kitchen to the living room, where they stood with black clothes. He arched one eyebrow.

"We're going to my mothe's grave. Today's the anniversary of her death!" Tohru said smiling; what made Kyo and Yuki, who had just arrived in the living room, narrow their eyes in surprise.

"And you're happy...?" Kyo asked as gently as he could.

"Yeah... Well, not exactly happy. We are just glad we can spend the day with her mom." Hanajima answered taking her veil out of her face. That answer took the boys aback.

"O-ok... We... We're going..." They replied at the same time.

"Okay, then!" Tohru said.

"But you're gonna have to change... Put some black clothes and stuff." Uotani pointed out. The boys exchanged worried looks and made their way through the stairs to get changed. When they were back, the girls had already packed their lunch and were waiting by the door.

"C'mon! Mom can't be kept waiting!" Tohru said grabbing Kyo and Yuki's hand and running towards the cemetery.

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Hey mom!" Tohru said walking in front of everybody and stopping in front of the grave. "I hope we're not late...!" She finished.

Yuki and Kyo just stared. I mean... Imagine what'd you think if you saw a girl walking into the cemetery bringing lunch and friends and starts talking with her mother's grave. Yeah... pretty unusual.

"Mummy, this is Yuki-kun..." She said pointing to the boy in question, who just nodded in respect. "... And this is Kyo!" Tohru now pointed to the read-haired, who waved.

"C'mon, let's eat!" Uotani screamed and started preparing the place for lunch. It took a few minutes, but soon the floor was covered with a white and blue table cloth. They sat and started to eat.

"Damn, this is good!" Kyo said while swallowing an entire riceball at once.

"Yes. Thank you Honda-san!" Yuki, for the first time, agreed with his cousin.

Tohru laughed and they finished the food. Soon, they were sitting fully fed watching the sun in the sky while talking about random things.

"We should get going." Hanajima finally gathered the courage to tell Tohru that they had to leave.

"Yeah... We should..." Tohru sighed then looked at her friends "You can go first... I'll join you in a minute..." She kneeled in front of the grave and read the inscription.

_"Here lies Kyoko Honda, beloved mother and wife. Forever in our thoughts and prayers."_

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind to see Kyo with a sincere small smile. "Are you ok, Tohru?" He asked truly worried.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. We should get going now, right Kyo-kun?" She smiled. Although she was really sad, he made her smile. He had that power over her. They got out of the cemetery and went straight home. That night, the rain washed away any hint of sadness and sorrow from the world; leaving new hopes and dreams for tomorrow.

_**XxXxXxX**_

The morning soon arrived, and everything went back to normal. Tohru was cleaning the house, Kyo was training, Yuki was organizing his Council's business and Shigure was... Doing nothing, as always.

"Tohru, my dear; could you come here for a moment?" Shigure's scream reached the kitchen, where Tohru was.

"Sure, Shigure-san!" She replied, leaving a sink full of dishes to find the man. She walked down the corridor and entered his office. "I'm here." He looked up from his papers and smiled.

"Tohru, could you do me a favour?" He asked in a suspicious voice.

"Uhm, of course! What do you need?"

"My editor came here yesterday demandig my script... Which I hadn't finished... Or even started; but that's not important... Anyways, I was so involved with my story that I forgot to pick some clothes up... Do you think you could do that for me?" He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Yeah. Where am I headed?" He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote the location down. After giving the paper to the girl, she left and he was alone in his office again. Shigure grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed the number he had recently called.

"Hello, Ayame? Yeah, she's already on her way."

**_XxXxXxX_**

"Fifth street. Fifth street... Oh, it's here." Tohru thought as she approached a pink and black shop with the name Aya's Shop. The minute she stepped inside the store, a woman wearing a black and white maid uniform appeared from nowhere and greeted her.

"Hello, miss. How may I help you?" The girl asked.

"Ah... Eh... I came here to pick some clothes up..." Tohru answered shyly.

"And in whose name are these clothes?" she got closer and held Tohru's hand.

"Hum... Shigure Sohma, I think."

"Sh-Shigure Sohma? Could you wait a moment, please?" The girl asked a little confused.

"O-of course." Came Tohru's reply. The woman disappeared behind a curtain, and when she came back, a tall white haired young man was following her. A familiar man. "Ayame-san?!" The surprise on Tohru's voice was obvious.

"Oh, hello Tohru! Long time no see, huh? I'm so glad you came by!" He said hugging her tightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I own this shop." He answered full of pride.

"Eeh?! You own this? That's... So awesome!" Enthusiasm took control of Tohru. Who would have thought Yuki's brother had a shop like this? The girl looked at all the clothes and suddenly remembered why she was there. "Ah, I almost forgot. Shigure-san asked me to pick up some clothes here."

"Tohru, my dear; the clothes were just an excuse for you to meet me. Afterall, I've got much to tell you about our family..."

**_XxXxXxX_**

**Hey guys! I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't what you expected... It's just that I had no inspiration at all. Writer's block is indeed a bitch... But anyways, I promise next chapter will be better! Don't be afraid to review... I don't bite ;-)**


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